The combined intervention of isoflavone intake and walking exercise over 1 year in postmenopausal Japanese women exhibited a trend for a greater effect on prevention of bone loss at the total hip and Ward's triangle regions. Introduction:The additive effects of isoflavones and exercise on bone and lipid metabolism have been shown in estrogen-deficient animals. In this study, we determined the effects of isoflavone intake, walking exercise, and their interaction on bone, fat mass, and lipid metabolism over 1 year in postmenopausal Japanese women. Materials and Methods: A total of 136 postmenopausal women at <5 years after the onset of menopause were randomly assigned to four groups: (1) placebo, (2) walking (45 minutes/day, 3 days/week) with placebo, (3) isoflavone intake (75 mg of isoflavone conjugates/day), and (4) combination of isoflavone plus walking. BMD, fat mass, serum lipid, and serum and urinary isoflavone concentrations were assessed. Results: A significant main effect of isoflavone on the reduction in trunk fat mass was obtained at 12 months. Significant main effects of walking on the reduction in fat mass in the whole body and the trunk were observed at 3, 6, and 12 months and that in the legs and arms at 6 and 12 months. Serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol concentration significantly increased by 12 months after the walking and the combined intervention. After 12 months, a significant main effect of isoflavone on BMD was observed only at Ward's triangle. Walking prevented bone loss at the total hip and the Ward's triangle to significant degrees. The effect of the combined intervention on BMD at total hip and Ward's triangle regions was greater than that of either alone. No significant interaction was observed between isoflavone and walking in any measurements recorded during the study. Conclusions: Our study suggest that combined intervention of 75 mg/day of isoflavone intake and walking exercise 3 times/week for 1 year showed a trend for a greater effect on BMD at total hip and Ward's triangle regions than either alone. Intervention with isoflavone in postmenopausal Japanese women showed a modest effect on BMD compared with those in Westerners. Further studies over longer treatment duration that include assessment of BMD at various regions are necessary to ascertain the clinical significance of the combined intervention of isoflavone plus walking in postmenopausal women.

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Objective: Although under-reporting of dietary intake is more common in persons with a high body mass index (BMI), it is not well known whether or not misreporting is selective for different foods (and hence energy and nutrients), particularly in nonWestern populations. We examined misreporting of dietary intake against biomarkers and its relation with BMI in young Japanese women. Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects: A total of 353 female Japanese dietetic students aged 18-22 years (mean BMI: 21.4 kg/m 2 , mean fat intake: 29.8% of energy). Methods: Misreporting of dietary energy, protein, potassium and sodium (assessed by a self-administered diet history questionnaire) was examined against respective biomarkers (estimated energy expenditure and 24-h urinary excretion). Reporting accuracy was calculated as the ratio of reported intake to that estimated from corresponding biomarkers (complete accuracy: 1.00). Results: Mean reporting accuracy of absolute intake (amount per day) varied considerably (0.86-1.14). Reporting accuracy of absolute intake decreased with increasing BMI (P for trend o0.001). However, no association was observed between reporting accuracy of energy-adjusted values and BMI (P for trend 40.15), indicating that BMI-dependent misreporting was canceled by energy adjustment. This was owing to positive correlation between the reporting accuracy of energy intake and that of absolute intake of the three nutrients (Pearson correlation coefficient: 0.49-0.67, Po0.0001). Conclusions: Although differential misreporting of absolute intake was associated with BMI, differential misreporting of energyadjusted value was not. These findings support the use of energy-adjusted values in the investigation of diet-disease relationships among lean populations with a low-fat intake.

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Our data suggest that the preventive effects of isoflavones on bone loss and fat accumulation in early postmenopausal women depend on an individual's equol-producing capacity.